Logan said there was no choice because Gov. Jerry Brown picked a date for this special election, but the state won't pay for it.

Logan said there have been 22 special elections since 2005 and turnout is often so low it works out to about $40 to $50 per vote cast.

"County government is saddled with the cost of these special elections and here in Los Angeles County, it's become commonplace to have two, three, as many as five of these in a given year," Logan said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said there needs to be a better way to do this.

"What are we doing? What are we spending money on? We're going to open all these polling places, we're going to hire all these people and you're only going to vote for this person or that person and that's it?" Zine said.

"I hope the taxpayers out there are listening," Moreno said. "People need to know how our taxpayer money is being managed."

So what can taxpayers do? The only way to get the legislature to change election laws, Logan says, is by calling them and telling them to, even though it's not a high priority for them.